Snow falls in a large portion of the United States during the winter months of each year. When this snow falls for a prolonged period of time, it accumulates on vehicles and must be removed before the vehicle may be moved. In fact, it some states now require snow to be cleared from tops of vehicles in order to prevent sheets of snow or ice from blowing off and causing accidents and/or damage to other vehicles.
A large number of devices have been developed for removing snow and ice from an automobile. One of the most common snow removal devices is an ice scraper having a protruding blade. Such prior art devices are exemplified by U.S. Pat. No. 4,748,711 to Markus, entitled “Ice/Snow Scraping System”; and U.S. Pat. No. 4,538,320 to Batt entitled “Scraper With Mitt”. Each of these scrapers contains a plastic blade that is designed to remove snow and ice from the glass window surfaces of an automobile. Unfortunately, the exterior of an automobile also includes a number of surfaces, such as painted metal, plated metal and plastic, which are very susceptible to scratching and conventional scrapers cannot be used to remove snow and ice from the other surfaces of the automobile because hard plastic blades can damage those scratch susceptible surfaces.
The need to remove snow from scratch susceptible surfaces of a vehicle is problematic, as snow must be removed from the vehicle in a manner that does not damage these surfaces. One solution is to simply use a scraper to remove snow from the windows of the vehicle. However, if the snow is not removed from the hood of the automobile, the snow may blow against the windshield when the automobile is driven, thereby blinding the driver. Similarly, if the snow is not removed from the roof of an automobile, then the snow can fall off of the roof covering the rear window of the automobile. In certain situations, snow and ice that have not been removed from an automobile may fly off of the automobile while the automobile is being driven, thereby creating a danger to other automobiles on the road. Accordingly, leaving this snow on the vehicle is not a viable option.
One common solution used by people remove snow from the surfaces of their automobile is to use a floor broom to push or pull the snow from the hood and roof of the vehicle. However, the bristles of a floor broom are hard and the broom can easily scratch many surfaces of the automobile if it is not used carefully. Another common technique used to remove snow from the top of an automobile is to pass a person's arm over the snow covered surfaces of the automobile. Besides the scratching hazard from zippers, buttons and the like, such a prior art technique is not preferred because the clothes and hand of the driver tend to become wet and cold.
A number of specialized devices have been developed to assist a driver in removing snow from all surfaces of an automobile without damaging the surface finish on the automobile and without requiring the driver to get wet. Such prior art devices are exemplified by U.S. Pat. No. 2,856,621, entitled “Scraper and squeegee device for clearing windows of snow and ice”. This patent discloses a long stick having a conventional hard blade scraper at one end and a broom with soft bristles at the opposite end. The scraper end of the stick is used to remove snow from glass windows while the broom end is used to remove snow from the other scratch susceptible surfaces.
This device allows the user to remove light snow from the vehicle without damaging the scratch susceptible surfaces thereof. However, a problem associated with snow removal devices like that of this patent is that the broom bristles are made very soft and the broom end of the device does not displace much snow as it is wiped across the surface of the automobile. As a result, it takes a very long time to remove snow from an automobile with such a device. Furthermore, if the snow is wet or is packed, then the bristles are incapable of displacing the snow, thereby making such a device ineffective and the user must then resort to using his/her hand to remove the snow.
Another device for removing snow from a vehicle is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 5,729,857, entitled “Device for removing snow and ice from the glass and painted surfaces of an automobile”. This patent discloses a snow removal device that includes a mitt element that receives a person's hand and a portion of the arm to a point in between the elbow and the shoulder. The mitt element is affixed to the rear surface of a plow structure and the combination of the mitt element and the plow structure combine to retain a person's arm in a manner that prevents the arm from bending at the elbow. The plow structure has a substantially planar front surface that displaces snow as it moves across the top surfaces of an automobile and the bottom of the plow structure is configured so that is can conform to the changing contours of the automobile without scratching the finished surface thereof.
The device disclosed in this patent is effective at removing snow from the hood or trunk portion of a vehicle. However, it is not readily adapted to removing snow from the roof portions of larger vehicles, such as trucks and sport utility vehicles that are popular today. Further, the user must lean up against the vehicle in order to pull the snow off of the hood and trunk, causing the user's body to become covered with snow. Finally, this device is only adapted to removing snow from a portion of hood or trunk of the vehicle and is not adapted to removing snow from the entire hood or trunk in a single pass. In the case of an individual cleaning one or two cars, it may be acceptable to spend this time to move from one side of the vehicle to the other. However, in the case of vehicle dealerships, vehicle rental facilities, valet parking facilities, and the like, this drawback tends to double the time required to remove snow from the vehicles.
Therefore, there is a need for a device for removing snow from a vehicle that will not damage scratch susceptible surfaces of the vehicle, does not result in the clothes and hand of the user becoming wet and cold, is capable of quickly removing heavy wet snow, is capable of easily removing snow from the roof surfaces of large vehicles, such as trucks and sport utility vehicles, and that may be adapted to remove snow from an entire vehicle in a single pass.